How to use our heads in the fishing industry Käytetään järkeä kalateollisuudessa

1. How to use our heads in the fishing industryKäytetään järkeä kalateollisuudessa Hreiðar Þór Valtýsson Assistant professor, MSc fisheries biology University of Akureyri / The Marine Research Institute Borgir v/ Nordurslod, IS-600 Akureyri, Iceland hreidar@unak.is Bjarni Eiriksson MSc student fisheries sciences University of Akureyri bjarnie@mac.com

2. Introduction • Flashback to the age of settlement • Fast forward to the 14th century • The 19th century, some changes • Semi-modern times • Today in Dalvík - Video Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

3. The 9th century First settlement in 874 Iceland fairly rich • New unspoiled country • Relatively few people • Warm climate Agriculture the mainstay of the economy Mostly fisheries for subsistence Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

4. The 9th century • The 10th century • The 11th century • The 12th century • The 13th century The population at around 70.000 Gradually the climate declines and the land becomes less productive Civil war and a loss of independence But nothing much happens in the fisheries Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

5. The 14th century Iceland under Norwegian and then Danish rule Poor contry • Cool climate • Infertile soil • Volcanic eruptions • Diseases Population around 50.000 Fisheries become more important • As food instead of less agricultural output • As export Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

6. The 14th century Fish products at least as important as agricultural products Stays like that for many centuries The fleet in Icelandic waters • Large English, later Dutch and still later French sailing boats fishing offshore • Icelanders use small open rowing boats Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

7. The 14th century The most important species • Cod – catches estimated from 10.000 to 40.000 t annually • Greenland shark – unknown catch • Halibut and haddock – unknown catch Processing method • Drying stockfish most important (skreið in Icelandic) for export • Fish oil also important for export and local consumption • Curing (buying it in a pit near the waters edge for some months) of shark important for local consumption • Some pickling (in whey) for local consumption • No salting, smoking, freezing, icing or canning Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

8. The 14th century What parts of the fish were used => everything The flesh dried and exported =$ Fins pickled and eaten Skin eaten or used to make shoes Head, dried and eaten mostly locally. Very common food Swim bladder, pickled and eaten Bones pickled and eaten or used as firewood Otoliths used as toys Stomach used for sausages Liver eaten, processed for oil, oil mainly for fire, also medicine Gonads eaten Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

9. The 14th century • The 15th century • The 16th century • The 17th century • The 18th century The population at around 50.000 Diseases, volcanic eruptions and cool climate keep the population level low Nothing much happens in the fisheries Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

10. The 19th century Iceland under the Danish crown but some gradual independence The economy improves despite a cool climate • Technological improvements Gradual population increase to 75.000 Fisheries become even more important 1996-2000 1896-1900 1818-1839 Fisheries products as percentage of export earnings 1733-1742 Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

11. The 19th century The fleet • Still foreign boats, mostly French schooners. English trawlers and Norwegian herring boats appear at the end of the century • An Icelandic sailing boat fleet began to emerge in the 18th century, approximately half of the catch by them • Majority of the Icelandic fleet still open rowing boats, why?? • The fishing grounds were also close by so big boats were not essential • Harbours were few and none in most areas • Not much capital available. Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

12. The 19th century The most important species • Cod – estimated catches from 50.000 to 80.000 t • Greenland shark – important until around 1910 • Herring – emerging as an important species Processing method • Drying stockfish still important in beginning • Saltingbecomes by far the most important method • Fish oil (Greenland shark and cod)important for export • Some Curing, pickling and smoking • No freezing, icing or canning Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

13. The 20th century Iceland becomes independent The economy improves rapidly Population increase to 300.000 Fisheries very important but relative importance declines toward the end Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

14. The 20th century The fleet • Motorized from the beginning of the century • Icelandic trawlers almost from the beginning of the century, numbers variable, around 100 in the later part. • Many size and type categories Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

15. The 20th century The main species • Cod nearly always the most important • Some years the herring was more important • The second and third species variable between decades, mainly haddock, redfish, shrimp, capelin, Greenland halibut and herring • Greenland shark and halibut of no commercial importance although consumed locally Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

16. The 20th century Processing methods • Salting the most important in the beginning and freezing from around 1950 • Fish meal, oil, dry fish and freshfish of some importance • Canning, and smoking of little importance Value of exports Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

17. The 20th century What parts of the fish were used => mainly the fillet The flesh salted or frozen Fins into fish meal Swim bladder into fish meal Head into fish meal Skin into fish meal Bones into fish meal Otoliths thrown away Stomach thrown away Liver processed for oil but mostly thrown away Gonads mostly thrown away Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

18. The 21st century Icelandic companies expand abroad Iceland very rich (how long will it last ??) The importance of fisheries declines The fleet • Fewer but more mechanized and computerized boats Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

19. The 21st century The main species • Mostly the same but changes in species composition due to warming climate • Reduced importance of cod as the stock was overfished and rebuilding the stock have so far failed The processing methods • More freshfish, less frozen • Salted fish still important, high quality market in the Mediterranean region • More emphazis on full utilization • Increase in fish drying, especially the heads !!! Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

20. The 21st century What parts of the fish were used => everything The flesh fresh, frozen or salted Fins dried Swim bladder dried, sometimes pickled Heads dried Skin into gelatine Bones dried Otoliths thrown away Stomach into skin care lotion Liver processed for oil and fish meael Gonads, roe into caviar Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

21. The 21st century Video, Dalvík fish processing plant Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

22. The 21st century This trend is probably driven by scarcity. • Before the 20th century food from agriculture was barely enough to feed the nation and the fish was hard to get. Thus every conceivable part of both the fish and the lamb was used. • The 20th century was time of abundance, fish stocks were not yet overfished for most part of the century and technology allowed people to fish easily. • In the beginning of the 21st century the picture facing the fisheries sector is bleaker, many stocks have been overfished and capacity of the fishing fleet is much higher than the fish stocks can tolerate, thus driving the fishing sector to attempt to increase the value of the limited catch. Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web

23. The end • Thanks to • Samherji hf • Salka – Norfisk ltd • Sigurjón Arason Matís • References • Arason, S. 2003. The drying of fish and utilization of geothermal energy – The Icelandic experience. GHC Bulletin, December 2003: 27-33 • Jónsson, G. and Magnússon, M.S. 1997. Hagskinna – Icelandic historical statistics. Statistics Iceland. • Thor, J.Th. 2002, 2003, 2005. Saga sjavarútvegs á Íslandi, volumes I, II and III. • Kristjánsson, L. 1985. Íslenskir sjávarhættir, volume IV, Finish Fishermen Association 13.11.2007 Hreiðar Thor Valtysson The web